(Photo of Gord Downie from The Tragically Hip by hernandezfisher on Flickr.)
It’s not exactly easy to select a “favorite band”; but if I have to pick one, it would be The Tragically Hip. The band is immensely popular in their homeland of Canada; but for whatever reason they’ve never really found that acclaim in the U.S. They’ll play stadium shows in Canada and mid-sized venues in Boston. (Think Gillette Stadium versus The Orpheum.) I saw them for the first time Fall 1992 during my sophomore year of college at the tiny Ranch Bowl in Omaha, NE. The place isn’t around anymore, which is too bad. It was a bowling alley, bar and night club. If it had a bookstore and record store, it would have been The Greatest Venue Ever(TM).
Here are ten songs by The Tragically Hip in an iTunes iMix that I recommend starting out with on your journey to becoming a fan of a truly great rock and roll band. Also worth checking out are Hip Base and Hip Fans, two fan sites.
